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Harbottle & Lewis advises on the sale of performance-io to private equity firm Apiary Capital

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

We have advised the sellers of performance-io, a leading life sciences performance marketing, SEO and GEO agency, on its sale to private equity firm, Apiary Capital.

Founded to deliver cutting-edge performance marketing solutions, performance-io has established itself as a key player in the industry, working with clients to enhance their marketing strategies through data-driven insights and expertise. Headquartered in London, the business now operates globally with teams in the UK, US, India, Japan and South Africa. 

Founder and CEO Matt Lowe and his senior management team will remain with the business, focusing on driving performance-io’s further growth and development.

Our team was led by partner Ed Lane, with support from senior associate Alex Gays, and associates Elizabeth Compton and David Jones. Co-managing partner Tony Littner provided strategic support throughout, with partner David Scott advising on corporate tax matters. Partner Yvonne Gallagher and associate Harry Wade also advised on employment matters.

On working with Harbottle & Lewis, Matt Lowe commented: “I’d not worked with lawyers on a PE backed deal before, and frankly the mood music about the experience wasn’t great. However, the experience with Harbottle and Lewis was. From the first meeting with Tony and Ed, through to working with the broader team through some complex curve balls, we had a superb experience; working in a collaborative manner, learning loads and always with a calming, assured temperament. I can’t recommend H&L enough.”

Ed Lane added: “We are delighted to have supported Matt and his team on this milestone, and we look forward to seeing performance-io’s continued success in its partnership with Apiary Capital.”

Harbottle & Lewis launches dedicated hub for startups

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

We are pleased to introduce The Vault, our startup portal designed specifically for founders and emerging companies.

The Vault offers a range of resources, carefully crafted to support startups. Understanding the financial constraints and resource limitations that many startups encounter, a core element of The Vault is the document hub. This offers a suite of template documents for founders, available for free download.

Commenting on The Vault, Tom Macleod, partner and co-head of the venture capital and emerging companies practice, said: “We are delighted to introduce The Vault. We understand the unique challenges faced by early stage founders; The Vault is designed to provide accessible resources and practical insights that can make a real difference to their journey.”

Register for The Vault

For further information contact us at: [email protected]

Shireen Peermohamed awarded three individual rankings by IP Stars

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

Partner and head of our intellectual property group Shireen Peermohamed has been recognised by IP Stars in three categories in its latest rankings, including its global list of the top 250 women in IP for 2025.

Shireen has been given the following rankings:

  • Top 250 women in IP 2025
  • Trade mark star 2025
  • Transactions star 2025

IP Stars, part of the Managing IP media group, is a specialist guide covering legal practitioners who deal with contentious and non-contentious intellectual property issues. Its rankings assess and rank law firms and practitioners globally in a range of IP practice areas. Its list of top 250 women in IP recognises senior IP practitioners from more than 50 jurisdictions across the world, who consistently go above and beyond for their clients and firms.

This recognition follows the firm’s and Shireen’s recently awarded ‘Recommended’ status by WIPR.

Click here to view the full rankings on the IP Stars website.

Legal Directions podcast: career insights from Sacha Wilson and Lisa Lacuna

Posted on by Alex Molyneux

In the latest episode of the Legal Directions podcast, partner and head of our advertising group Sacha Wilson and senior people manager Lisa Lacuna introduce Harbottle & Lewis and discuss the work we do, what life is like at the firm and what aspiring trainees can do to maximise their chances of success when applying for training contracts.

Sacha gives an overview of his career, explaining his journey to partnership before providing an insight into advising clients in a few of our key sectors, including advertising and the wider media and entertainment industry. He outlines the type of work he and his team does, from contract negotiations for brands and advertising agencies to data protection compliance and regulatory projects, and both the challenges and opportunities brought by emerging technologies such as NFTs and the legal issues when working with AI or in areas like influencer marketing.

Lisa discusses the application process for training contracts, providing guidance for those looking to apply and sharing key tips to consider when invited to interview.

To find out more about applying for a training contract or what it’s like to work at Harbottle & Lewis, visit our Grad Hub.

The Legal Directions podcast is hosted by the University of Liverpool Law School and is aimed at students, paralegals and other aspiring legal professionals keen to gain insight, advice and inspiration from those working in the legal industry. You can listen to this episode here.

Harbottle & Lewis announces record financial results for FY25

Posted on by Alex Molyneux

Harbottle & Lewis has announced its financial results for the 2024/25 financial year.

For the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the firm reported income of £53.8m. This represents the highest income figure reported in its 70 year history.

These results demonstrate the firm’s sustained growth, with a 13.3% increase in income over the last two years and a 91.8% increase over the last eight years.

This is the firm’s first twelve month financial year since it altered its year end to align with the tax year following HMRC’s basis period reform.

Co-managing partner Charlie Leveque said:

“We are very pleased with how the firm has performed over the last financial year, reflected in these strong results which underscore the strength of the relationships we have built with our clients and the trust they continue to have in us. Over the last year we have continued to make great strides in implementing our strategy, for example by refining and sharpening our focus on key sectors, strengthening our international presence and developing our connections overseas, and investing in new ways to improve efficiencies through technology and innovation. This reinforces our conviction that the firm is in a strong position to build on these successes and that our focused, strategic approach will continue to bear fruit.

FINALIST FOR FAMILY LAW FIRM AT 2025 EPRIVATECLIENT EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Posted on by Nikhita Sagar

We have been named as a finalist in the category of Family Law Firm (Full Service) at the 2025 eprivateclient Excellence Awards. 

These awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the UK and offshore legal, tax, fiduciary and advisory professions over the past 12 months and recognise firms that go above and beyond for their clients. Being named a finalist is a testament to our market-challenging and dynamic family law team and the level of service we provide to our clients. 

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 12 June at the Nobu Hotel in London.  

Find out more about the awards and the other finalists here.

Partnership with SXSW London as their Official Legal Services Supplier

Posted on by Anna Weeden

We have partnered with South by Southwest (SXSW) as the official legal services supplier for their debut London event, taking place from 2-7 June.

SXSW is a globally renowned annual industry event that began in Texas in 1987. Over the years, it has gained recognition for its dynamic conferences and festivals, which celebrate the convergence of technology, film, music, education and culture.

This partnership reflects the synergy between SXSW’s vision and our expertise in the media and entertainment industries, and we look forward to supporting and contributing to this celebration of creativity and innovation.

For more details about the event, please visit the official SXSW London website.

Winners of Best Law Firm for Quality of Work at Legal Cheek Awards 2025

Posted on by Nikhita Sagar

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded Best Law Firm for Quality of Work at the Legal Cheek Awards 2025.

The winners were determined by the results of Legal Cheek’s annual trainee and junior lawyer and barrister surveys.

Winning this award reinforces our commitment to providing our people with opportunities to work on some of the most high profile and cutting edge matters alongside creative and influential clients across a range of sectors.

The full list of winners can be found here.

Finalist for Best Legal Team for Early Stage Deals

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

In recognition of our work advising entrepreneurs, emerging companies and investors on the investment lifecycle, we have been selected as a finalist for the Best Legal Team for Early Stage Deals award at the UK Business Angels Association Angel Investment Awards 2025.

This award recognises the legal firms that have made a significant impact on the ecosystem during the past year, both through actively supporting angel and early-stage investment deals and bringing tangible value to the investment process.

The UKBAA Angel Investment Awards celebrate the high growth and success of the angel and early-stage investment market, recognising the fastest growing brands and acknowledging the founders, angels, crowd funders and early-stage venture capital investors behind them.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place at The Brewery in London on Thursday 10 July.

Find out more about the awards and the other finalists here: https://awards.ukbaa.org.uk/.

Harbottle & Lewis advises Poolhouse on its $34 million financing raise to revolutionise the game of pool

Posted on by Nikhita Sagar

Developed by long-standing Harbottle clients, Steven and Dave Jolliffe (the founders of Topgolf and Puttshack) and led by CEO Andrew O’Brien, Poolhouse is a new social entertainment venue concept reimagining pool.

The concept combines the game of pool with cutting edge technology to create a new immersive experience, offering guests of all skill levels an engaging experience through a diverse library of interactive pool games together with a world class food and beverage offering. Poolhouse’s first venue is set to open in Liverpool Street, London, early in 2026 and they are in discussions to expand to open further venues in the Middle East, North America, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Poolhouse raised $34 million in its seed funding round from a number of venture capital firms and strategic investors from across the globe. The round was led by Sharp Alpha, a U.S. leisure-focused venture capital investor, and DMG Ventures, DMGT’s consumer venture capital fund. Other investors in the round included Emerging Fund, (investors in F1 Arcade, Flight Club and Batbox), David Blitzer (owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils), Simon Sports (a co-owner of Ipswich Town F.C.) and Active Partners (an early investor in Soho House). Signature Hospitality Group, one of Australia’s largest hospitality brand operators, has also taken an equity stake and signed a franchise agreement with Poolhouse.

On working with Harbottle & Lewis, Poolhouse CEO Andrew O’Brien commented:

“The Harbottle team did an outstanding job guiding us through the many inevitable complexities associated with a funding round of this size. Three things stood out for Poolhouse in particular: i) their pragmatic approach to resolving several more complex elements of the process, ii) superb communication within the team working with us – they were always in sync, and iii) great work rate, with many (very) late nights spent driving time sensitive tasks to punctual conclusions.”

Corporate partner Tom Macleod and managing associate Rosie Marston led the transaction, with support from corporate associates Elizabeth Compton and Jake Jacobson, and other departments across the firm. Commercial/sports partner Bob Mitchell led the licensing aspects of the transaction with support from senior associate Mike Jones.

Commenting on the transaction, Tom Macleod said:

“We are delighted to have supported the Poolhouse team on their $34m investment round, which paths the way for the launch of their first venue for this transformative new pool concept. We advised Poolhouse from its inception, providing advice on its corporate structure, licensing arrangements, employment and incentivisation matters, as well as running the investment transaction itself. This further demonstrates the breadth of H&L’s offering to emerging companies and our ability to advise on complex, high value venture capital transactions.”